Portsmouth to Santurtzi through the ‘Bay of Biscay’

Onboard P & O Ferry - Pride of Bilbao

Ogston Bird Club Annual Trip - September 14th to September 17th

Trip Members: - Bryan Hartley, Richard & Brenda Wesley, Mike Conroy, Brian Woods, Peter & Brenda Wilson, Trevor West & Sarah Wyatt, Jim & Thelma Childs, Dave & Jean Moore, Terry Lister, Roy Frost, Billy Reddish, Geoff & Rachel Evans.

14/09/2002 – Day 1

Farlington Marshes (East of Portsmouth off A2030): -

Little Egret 8 Redshank c200

Grey Heron 1 Greenshank 7

Wigeon c100 Dunlin c200

Gadwall c20 Curlew Sandpiper 1

Teal c100 Common Gull 1

Mallard c30 Lesser Black-backed Gull 1

Pintail 8 Black-headed Gull c100

Shoveler 8 Turtle Dove 2

Sparrowhawk 1 Kingfisher 1

Kestrel 1 Pied Wagtail 1

Moorhen 10 Yellow Wagtail 1

Coot 1 Wheatear 2

Grey Plover 4 Reed Warbler 1

Lapwing c100 Magpie 1

Snipe 8 Starling c200

Black-tailed Godwit c400 Linnet 10

Curlew c10 Reed Bunting 1

Spotted Redshank c10

Insects recorded: -

Long-winged Conehead, Lesser Marsh Grasshopper, Clouded Yellow

& Migrant Hawker

Boarded ‘Pride of Bilbao’ at 19:00 hours. Sailed at 21:10 hours.

15/09/2002 - Day 2

Fine with good visibility, wind building to North Easterly 6 through Bay of Biscay.

06:26 Gannet 11:37 Robin

06:31 Gannet 11.56 Great Skua

06:33 Lesser Black-backed Gull (6) 12:06 Black-headed Gull

06:34 Gannet 13:00 Garden Warbler

06:35 Wheatear 13:37 Wheatear

06:37 Chiffchaff (2) 14:04 Minke Whale (breeching)

06:38 Tree Pipit 14:20 Comic Tern

06:43 Lesser Black-backed Gull (22) 14:30 Gannet

06:44 Greater Black-backed Gull 14:33 Pied Flycatcher

06:45 Gannet (3) 14:35 Sabine’s Gull

06:53 Gannet 15:26 Lesser Black-backed Gull

06:58 Great Skua 15:30 Grey Pharalope

07:02 Robin 15:35 Dolphin species

07:05 Wheatear 15:49 Herring Gull

07:11 Gannet 16:15 Cory’s Shearwater (2)

07:14 Wheatear 16:20 Great Shearwater (20)

07:15 Gannet 16:25 Sooty Shearwater (2)

07:18 Gannet 16:40 Dolphin species (c10)

07:19 Great Skua 16:45 Sooty Shearwater

07:20 Gannet 16:46 Great Shearwater (2)

07:27 Chiffchaff 17:26 Great Shearwater (8)

07:30 Gannet 17:26 Wader species (6)

07:55 Manx Shearwater 17:38 Sabine’s Gull

08:00 Long-tailed Skua 17:38 Great Skua

08:02 Gannet 17:44 Gannet

08:52 Redstart (male) 17:50 Gannet (20)

09:00 Balearic Shearwater 17:50 Great Shearwater (20)

09:01 Long-finned Pilot Whales (20) 18:00 Great Shearwater (10)

09:10 unidentified passerines (3) 18:15 Cory’s Shearwater (2)

09:34 Great Skua 18:19 passerine species

09:38 Chiffchaff 18:27 wader species

09:54 Gannet (3)

09:54 Common Dolphin

09:55 Skua species

09:54 Common Dolphin (2)

10:13 Gannet

10:19 Common Tern (juvenile)

10:25 Gannet (4)

10:26 Lesser Black-backed Gull

11:01 Gannet

11:21 Blackcap (male)

11:27 Great Skua

16/09/2002 – Day 3

Santurtzi-El Mazo / Los Llanos: - 07:15 –11:00 hrs

Docked at 07:00 hrs and then taken by taxi to the hillside near El Mazo.

Booted Eagle 1 Blackcap 1

Kestrel 1 Whitethroat 3

Peregrine Falcon 1 Lesser Whitethroat 1

Cuckoo 1 Sardinian Warbler 1

Swallow 5 Willow Warbler 2

House Martin 7 Chiffchaff 1

White Wagtail 2 Spotted Flycatcher 1

Yellow Wagtail 2 Pied Flycatcher 3

Robin 1 Red-backed Shrike 1

Redstart 1 Magpie 2

Whinchat 1 House Sparrow 5

Stonechat 9 Serin c30

Wheatear 1 Greenfinch 6

Blackbird 1 Goldfinch 17

Cetti’s Warbler 2 Linnet 6

Grasshopper Warbler 1

Insects recorded: - Meadow Brown, Spanish Wall Brown, Adonis Blue, Locust sp.
Unusual Plants recorded: - Field Eryngo, Autumn Ladies Tresses.

Santurtzi Harbour: - 11:15 – 11:45 hrs

Shag 1 Grey Heron 1 Yellow-legged Gull c600 Turnstone 1

Return Sailing through Bay of Biscay.

Fine with good visibility, Wind NE3 increasing to NE6 later.

12:40 Sooty Shearwater (2) 15:00 Grey Phalarope (8)

13:00 Bottle-nosed Dolphin (c10) 15:06 Great Shearwater (c45)

13:00 Sooty Shearwater 15:06 Sooty Shearwater (c10)

13:10 Gannet (juv.) 15:35 Dolphin species (3)

13:12 Common Gull 15:47 Yellow-legged Gull

13:17 Manx Shearwater 16:10 Gannet

13:25 Shoal of Tuna 16:20 Black-headed Gull

13:28 Great Shearwater (c200) 16:30 Skua species

13:28 Sooty Shearwater (c30) 16:50 Cormorant (c20)

13:30 Skua species 17:15 Fin Whale (12 Blows)

13:43 Cormorant (6) 17:50 Sabine’s Gull (4)

14:06 Collared Dove 18:20 Unidentified (4 Blows)

14:08 Wagtail species 18:35 Fin Whale (3 Blows)

14:55 Great Shearwater

14:55 Gannet

14:58 Great Shearwater (6)

17/09/2002 - Day 4

Fine with good visibility, Wind NE6.

07:09 Gannet 09:42 Swallow (6) north

07:10 Gannet 09:55 Sand Martin (2) north

07:11 Great Skua 09:55 Swallow (2) north

07:17 Great Skua 10:09 Swallow (4) north

07:20 Gannet 10:10 Gannets (many)

07:25 Gannet 11:40 Great Skua

08:05 Pied/White Wagtail

09:12 Gannets (several)

09:27 Tern species (2)

09:29 Sand Martin (3) north

Portsmouth Harbour :- 17:00 hrs

Little Egret (5), Oystercatcher (c20)

Docked at 17:15 hrs